Sport utility vehicles have become increasingly popular among vehicle buyers. Sport utility vehicles are often based upon a light-duty truck chassis and, instead of a cab and rear cargo box or cargo area, have an integrated passenger compartment which extends rearward from the cab over substantially the entire length of the vehicle. Thus, the interior may be similar to a van or a station wagon. However, differences in the chassis and/or drive train components make for a vehicle with handling and performance characteristics that differ from those other vehicles.
Unfortunately, sport utility vehicles are relatively expensive compared to the other utility vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, upon which they are based. Furthermore, the options available for the interior layout of the rear portion of the sport utility vehicle (i.e., for carrying passengers, cargo, equipment, etc.) are limited to relatively few alternatives offered by the vehicle manufacturers. In addition, certain equipment options (such as drive train, suspension, etc.) may only be offered on the truck version of the vehicle but not on the sport utility version. Alternatively, the desired equipment options may have to be purchased in combination with other options the customer does not want. In short, the economies of scales generally preclude the vehicle manufacturers from offering a wider variety of optional layouts for the rear passenger compartment due to the smaller volumes typically associated with more customized layouts. In addition, the passenger compartments associated with most modern sport utility vehicles cannot easily be transferred to the chassis of an existing pick-up truck should the owner of the pick-up truck wish to convert his vehicle to a sport utility version.
Camper top additions to pick-up trucks are quite popular since they offer the pick-up truck owner an opportunity to obtain some, but by no means all, of the advantages of the sport utility vehicle. The camper top is most often a rigid shell that is attached to the existing cargo box for defining an enclosed compartment over the cargo box. In essence, the pick-up truck is converted into two compartments, namely, the cab and an enclosed rear compartment. Passengers and cargo are not readily transferrable between the cab and rear compartment due to the rear wall of the cab and/or front of the cargo box and camper top. Since the camper top merely encloses the rear cargo box, alternate provisions must be made to install any seating equipment or other amenities typically found in a sport utility vehicle. The revisions and alterations necessary to install such seating and other equipment oftentimes result in substantial effort and expense as well as extensive modifications to the cargo area.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modular vehicle compartment constructed such that a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, can be easily and quickly modified into a sport utility vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method by which a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, can be quickly and easily modified so as to be remanufactured into a sport utility vehicle. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of converting a pick-up truck into a sport utility vehicle which can provide a single integrated passenger compartment. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sport utility vehicle which is easier and more cost effective to manufacture in low production volumes, especially for more customized versions.
In general, the present invention relates to a modular passenger compartment which can be retro-fitted to a vehicle such as a pick-up truck. The pick-up truck is prepared by removing the existing cargo box, if one was installed at the factory. An enlarged aperture is provided by removing a portion of the rear wall of the cab. A modular compartment is then secured to the chassis. The modular compartment has a front wall apertured to match the aperture cut into the rear wall of the cab. By aligning the two apertures, a single interior compartment is created that extends rearwardly from the driver's location to substantially the end of the vehicle. A sealing arrangement can be disposed about the apertures between the rear of the cab and the front of the modular compartment for insulating the interior compartment from wind, noise, particulates, etc., found in the outside ambient environment.
The interior of the modular passenger compartment can be configured with a layout to suit the customer needs. For example, additional seating in the form of bench or bucket seats can be provided with or without a portion of the floor area configured to receive cargo. Likewise, specialized layouts can be manufactured such as camping layouts which may include a bed or food preparation area in addition to or in lieu of seating capacity. Because of the relative ease in which an existing vehicle platform can be converted, alternative modular compartments may be constructed for other specialized situations, such as for example, a paramedic/ambulance.
Unlike conventional truck conversions, passengers and cargo can be transferred between the driver's portion of the vehicle and the rear compartment. In addition, certain systems of the vehicle (i.e., HVAC, electrical, and sound systems, etc.), can be easily extended or modified to service the entire interior of the vehicle.
From the subsequent detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and subjoined claims, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.